Clutch.



V. L. WARD.

CLUTCH.

APPLICATION FILED AIUG.1,I9$6. LQBQASQ.. Patented July 3,1917.

.a0 6 @e /*Cg- ,6" 121mg a '29 .v/o f3] Il i3 74 f @l L WITNESSES L ,L "g/ v x I l l I L r u n ATICRNEY VALLEY L. wann, or woonsroox, vinonn';

CLUTCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July s, iai 7.

Application filed August 7, 1916. Serial N 0,113,565.

To all whom zt-may concern.

Be it known that I,- VALLEY L. WARD, a

'citizen of the United States, residing at Woodstock, in the county of Shenandoah and StateA of Virginia, have invented a new and useful Clutch, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to clutches, and has, for its object to provide a simple, strong and durable clutch, which is positive in action, and which may be used for heavy work, such as in the drive shaft of a motor vehicle.

The above object is accomplished by'the present invention by providing a shell or ollow member with segments arranged therein, and a cam rotatably mounted concentrically within the segments and having a spring connectiontherewith to urge the segments in one direction relatively to the cam. rlhe present invention provides wedges, which lie between the adjacent ends of the segments and bear against the cam, so as to spread the segments 'and lock the latter to the hollow member or shell when the cam is turned in one direction or the shell turned in the opposite direction.

The invention will be best understood from a consideration of the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing forming part `of this specification with the further understanding that while the drawing shows aV practical form of the invention, the latter is not coniined to strict'c'onformity with'the showing of the drawing, but may be changed and modified, so long as' such 'changes and modifications come within the scopeof the appended claims.

In the drawing Figure 1 isa longitudinal central section, taken through a clutch constructed according to the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a transverse section, taken centrally through the clutch.

Fig. 3' is a fragmentary enlarged section, taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2, showing one of the wedges and the-wearing shoe therefor. l

Fig. 4 is a detail perspective viewl of the wearing shoe for supporting the wedge.

Referring to the drawing, 10 designates 'ay hollowdrum or shell, which is secured in any suitable manner to the shaft section 11 to turn therewith. The shell 10 is'open at one sidel and is provided with a detachable cover plate 12 for closing said open side. The cover plate 12 is provided with a hub or bearing portion 13 receiving therethrough a second shaft section 1,4, which is held in line with the shaft section 11.

Secured to the inner end of the shaft section 14 is a cam 15, the same being concentric with the shell 10 and of considerably reduced diameter. Segments 16 are placed between the cam 15 and the inner wall of the shell 10, two segments being shown in the present instance. The segments 16 term-v nate at their ends in close proximity to one another., the said ends of the segments being beveled inwardly to provide opposed bearing faces 17 and 18.

. Wedges 19 are placed between the bearing faces 17 and 18, and lare adapted to be forced radially or outwardly to spread the inner wall of the drum or shell 10. The

. segments 16 and bind the same against the cam 15 has flat sides corresponding in nump ber to the number of wedgesK 19 employed. Wearing shoes or blocks 20 lie between the cam 15 and the wedges 19 to take up wear therebetween. The wedges 19 are preferably of, cylindrical or roll form, as shown, and are adapted t0 seat in the outer concaved faces of the wearing shoes 20, and to move as a unit therewith.

The cam 15 is provided in its periphery, p

against pins 25 which project inwardly from 4 the segments' 16. Thepsprings are contractible and tend to force the cam and segments in opposite directions, forcing the segments in .a counter-clockwisedirection, asshown in Fig. 2. From an inspection of Fig. 2, it will be seen that when the cam is rotated clockwise, as indicated by the arrow, the segments .will instantl bind against the drum by vreason of a ra ial movement of the wedges 19 and their engagement with-the bevel faces 17 and 18. The springs maintain the parts in the position shown in Flg. 2, so, as to insure this instant binding eifect as soon as the cam is moved in the dlrection of the arrow. On the other hand, when the v14 and cam 15' are The segments 16 are each provided with a plurality of openings 28 adapted to be brought one at a time into registry with the opening 26 by the turning of the segments within the shell. Should the 'working parts of the clutch break, or if it be desire to drive the clutch backward, the drum 10 may be locked to the cam 15 to turn in either direction therewith. This is accomplished by removing the screw plug 27 and inserting a pin 29, shown detached in Fig.

- 1, through the opening 26, and into the a jacent opening 28, which happens to be in register therewith. The pin 29-may have a screw threaded portion for securement in the opening 26, and an angular'head for turning the pin in placing and removing it.

For the purpose of lubrication, and to reduce the weight of the clutch, the segments 16 are also provided with a plurality of radial openings 30, the same being out of line from one another to prevent undue weakening of the segments.

It is, ofcourse, understood that the clutch of this invention may be used in any desired line of shating, and for the purpose of explaining the operation of the device, it will be assumed that the shaft section 14 has connection with a driving means, such as a motor, or the like, and thatthe shaft section 11 is connected to the driven means. V

This action of the springs-tends to force,

the Wedges 19 radially outward from the axis of the clutch, and the segments are held lightly in contact with the inner wall of the drumor shell 10. When the shaft segtion driven in the opposite direction from that in which the springs 23 urge the segments, shown by the arrow in Fig. 2, the cam 15 forces the wedges 19 against the bearing faces 18 and binds the adjacent ends of the segments 16 harder against the drum 10. Such action further slides the wedges in the same direction as they are urged by the springs along the straight sides of the cam 15, and forces the wedges farther in between the adjacent oppositely beveled ends of the segments as the latter are held in frictional contact with the drum. The result is that the segments firmly grip the shell .10 and, by means of the wedges 19, lock the cam 15 and its shaft section 14 to the drum.

If for any reason the drum 10 and shaft section 11 should rotate faster than the cam the segments in the same vdirection as f one side n 1. A clutch comprising a drum or shell, a

rotatable cam within the drum or shell, segments fitted around the cam and -between it and the drum or shell, a wedging roll interposed lbetween the meeting ends of the segments and operated by the cam to force the segments outwardly, and connecting means for the segments and the cam, said connecting means being interposed in the space between said parts.

2. A clutch comprising a drum or shell, a rotatable 'cam within the drum or shell having a at face, segments fitted around the cam and between it and the drum or shell, a Wedging roll interposed between the meeting ends of the segments, a shoe in which said roll is mounted, said shoe being movable along the fiat face of the cam, and connecting means interposed in the space between the segments and the cam.

3. A clutch comprising a rotatable drum, a rotatable cam concentrically mounted within the drum and having flat sides, segments fitted within the drum about the cam and having. their adjacent ends spaced apart, resilient connecting means between the cam and the segments, and wedges tted between the ends of the segments and bearing against said flatsides of thecam to move the segments outwardly.

4. A clutch comprising a rotatable drum, a 'rotatable cam concentrically mounted in the drum, segments surrounding the cam, wedges tting between the adjacent ends of the segments and operated by the cam, and resilient connecting means between the cam and the segments.

`5. A clutchf-fcomprising a rotatable drum,

4a rotatable cam concentrically mounted within the 'drum and having flat sides, segments'tting between the cam and the inner vhaving concaved seats to receive and'hold the wedges.

6. A clutch comprising a rotatable drum, a ,rotatable cam disposed concentrically in the drum, segments arranged in said drum about the cam and having beveled meeting ends, said cam having flat sides adjacent to the meeting ends of the segments, wedges fitting between the beveled ends of the segments and bearing upon said flat sides of the cam, and springs between the segments and the cam for urging the segments to turn in one direction about the cam and slide the wedges over said flat sides away from the central axis,vwhereby upon the turning of the cam in one direction, the segments are adapted to slide the wedges farther along said flat sides of the cam and force the wedges between the ends of the segments to expand the latter and bind them against the drum.

7. A clutch comprising a hollow drum, a rotatable cam concentrically mounted in the drum and having opposed flat sides and peripheral grooves between the sides, segments fitting in said drum about the cam and having their adjacent ends beveled and provided with peripheral grooves in their inner faces, springs tting in said grooves of the cam and in the grooves of the segments, and connected at their ends to the 'cam and segments respectively, wedges slidably mounted on said flat sides of the cam and engaging between the Vadjacent', ends of the segments, said cam being adapted to be rotated to force the wedges between the segments for expanding the same and-1ocking the wedges to the drum.

8. A clutch comprising a drum, a rotatable cam concentrically mounted within the therewith, a spring for each segment, said springs being arranged in said annular grooves of the segments and sald grooves Vof the cam, pins on the cam engaging the corresponding ends of the springs, a pin on each segment engaging the opposite endvof the adjacent spring, a cover closing the side of the drum to retain the segments therein and having an opening arranged opposite to the segments at one side of the clutch, said segments having transversely extending openings therethrough adapted to register with said opening in the cover, and a pin adapted for engagement through the opening in the cover and through one of said openings in the segments when brought into register with the opening in the cover to lock the segments to the drum.

In testimony, that l claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto aHiXed my signa-A ture.

VALLEY L. WARD. 

